Five Benefits of Temporary Workers

Taking advantage of temporary workers is the newest trend in the job recruitment sector. In fact, 34% of businesses expect to hire more temporary workers in the next five years (2011 McKinsey Global Institute US Jobs Survey). And though you’ll need to consider how your recruitment and onboarding processes will work – from performing background checks to terms of employment - these employees can be a valuable asset to your business.

Utilizing temporary workers to augment your business’s permanent staff can help you save time and money, complete special projects, and fill gaps in your staff in order to keep your business functional and productive.

Complete Special Projects

Temporary workers come to your business with a wide range of experiences and skills, and can fulfill functions at any level in your business hierarchy. Many businesses hire temporary employees to complete special projects that their regular staff doesn’t have the time for or the right skill set.

Otherwise known as consultants, these temporary workers can join your business for a short period in order to audit your finances, design your web page, or complete a host of other projects that don’t necessitate the creation of a full-time position.

Fill Gaps in Your Staff

Experienced temporary workers can help you keep your business running when you are missing key members of your staff. They can hold down positions in your company while a permanent job candidate is recruited, or during the course of an employee’s leave of absence.

In the former instance, the presence of a temporary employee gives you the extra time to find the right candidate for the open position. In the latter, an employee can feel better about going on leave knowing that their work will still get done and their job will be waiting for them upon their return.
Temporary employees can join your staff for particularly busy times of the year in order to augment your current staff. Many retail stores hire temporary employees during the holiday rush, when they make the most sales from the most customers.

Less Overhead

There are a number of ways in which hiring temporary employees can decrease your company’s overhead. When you source workers from a professional employer organization (PEO), the responsibility for recruiting, hiring, paying, issuing 401k plans and distributing benefits to each worker is held by the PEO, not your business. You don’t have to worry about taxes, compliance, or regulations pertaining to keeping and paying employees – you simply pay the PEO their fee and move on.

Less Training

Temporary employees often need less training in order to fulfill the function of their jobs.

Some employees are hired specifically for their skill sets and require minimal onboarding before they are ready to join the team. Office assistants and accountants already know the ins-and-outs of their job; show them their desk and they’re often able to get started right away.

Other temporary workers may need some training before they’re ready to work, but rarely require going through the entire onboarding process and probably don’t need cross-training.

Save Money

Temporary employees save you money in a number of ways, not all of which are immediately apparent.

You don’t have to pay for benefits, as they are handled by the PEO. When it comes to using retirement benefits, for example, you don’t have to worry about matching, etc.

Loss of business due to employee turnover is mitigated when you have a temporary employee filling in for a permanent staff member. Having more time to spend on recruitment enables you to find the best candidate for the position, rather than settle for a poor choice that may not work out.

Hiring temporary employees can help your business in a number of ways and a number of businesses are beginning to catch on. According to USAToday.com, “Sophelle, a technology consultant for retailers, recently nearly doubled its temporary staff to 19, while its permanent staff of 55 has risen just 37% the past two years…” Consider how your business can benefit from temporary staff as the 2013 rolls on.

Megan Webb-Morgan is a web content writer for ResourceNation.com. She writes about small business, focusing on topics such as business sales.